Finally, a Real Action Plan for the Access to Justice in French in Ontario!

I welcome the report on Access to justice in French that was published yesterday by the French Language Services Bench and Bar Advisory Committee to the Attorney General of Ontario. I have just issued a news release about this report.

The Committee’s report contains 17 important recommendations gathered in nine activity sectors for which accountability and evaluation methods are defined. The report precisely describes the steps necessary to ensure that French speakers have meaningful and effective access to justice in French in Ontario while making the most efficient use of existing resources.

Furthermore, the Committee’s report confirms that the current status quo relating to the access to justice in French is unacceptable. Its recommendations have the potential to generate significant progress and to finally ensure equal access to justice for Francophones, as long as solutions are implemented efficiently and efforts are well-coordinated.

I thank all members of the Committee and more particularly its co-chairs for their tremendous work and their holistic approach towards the access to justice in French. In light of this thorough report, the time for conducting studies and analysis is now over! I rely upon the leadership of the Ministry of the Attorney General for the implementation of this action plan and I am fully committed to closely monitor this important process. I will also discuss the report further this fall.